It's currently 5 am but here you go. I was just too excited about this bit to stop writing.
Kili and I agreed to wait until morning to decide what to do with the Arkenstone. We were both exhausted as it had been quite an emotionally taxing day. He escorted me to my own tent as I didn't want Ada to have a heart attack. Ada may have started warming up to Kili but I didn't want to push him too far.
When I woke up, the stone was still there on my side table. In all its sparkly glory. A part of me that I'm not proud of instantly thought 'this is probably what twilight vampires look like in the sun'. Even after all these years my twilight phase would always come back to haunt me.
I lifted it up tentatively. Rainbows flowed across my skin as I moved it. There wasn't much light in the room yet the stone seemed to find it anyway. It was quite large and I could just about hold it with one hand. I had to admit that it was gorgeous. I'd always been a sucker for pretty rocks. There was a shelf back home full of them.
But at the same time it had a sinister air about it. Though that may be because of what I knew about it. How much hurt and conflict it had caused. Was it the jewel itself that had caused the gold sickness? If it had never been found would Smaug have ever shown up in the first place?
I shook my head. Dislodging the thoughts. I couldn't be thinking like that. What's done is done, I needed to be concentrating on the here and now.
The air was turning colder by the day. My breath misted in front of me even within the confines of my own tent. Usually the frost would recede once the sun came up but with each passing day it took longer and longer to melt.
I made sure that the Arkenstone was secured tightly in my pocket before venturing outside. Hauling around something as precious as this made me feel like a fugitive. Like I'd stolen something of great value. I felt myself constantly looking around me. Wondering if anyone suspected me of anything. Which I know only made me look even more suspicious. Nori would be severely disappointed in me.
My first port of call was Kili's tent. I wasn't doing anything without my moral support. When I knocked on his tent-or more realistically, flapped the door a bit-I knew that I Kili hadn't been awake. There was a startled snort as Kili woke up mid snore and then the sound of fumbling. The door eventually opened to reveal a very groggy Kili, rubbing his eyes.
"I've got the goods" I indicated to my jacket pocket. "Now what are we actually doing with it?"
Kili blinked up at me "Shouldn't we just give it to your Adad. I feel like that is the best option we've got. Other than burying it in a hole somewhere."
I nodded. That sounded sensible. "You're probably right. I'm not very good at digging anyway"
Kili smiled at that.
Ada's tent was surprisingly full when we walked up to it. Even though the sun had barely risen. Do these people ever sleep? Scratch that I already knew the answer was no. I peered my head around the door to take a look inside.
Ada was standing in the centre of the room with several advisors around him. Legolas stood near to Ada, getting involved with the discussion. Bard lingered around the edge with Mum. Looking wary but healthier. He was definitely less pale. Mum caught my eyes and waved me inside. She reached a hand out to give my shoulder a comforting squeeze when I got close.
"We will discuss this later" Ada said to the elves around him "Send word if anything new arises"
"Yes your majesty" They all bowed their heads respectfully before making their way out.
"What was that about?" I asked.
"Our scouts have spotted the orc armies making their way towards us. They are coming from the south-east like you said they would. At the speed they are going they will be here within a few days."
"Oh, okay" I said, dazed.
Fuck!
I knew that it was inevitable but now that it was happening I wanted to scream and throw up at the same time. My whole life could be turned on its head in the space of a few measly days.
"But our scouts have also caught sight of a new army. Marching from the east. I thought you said that Thorin would not send for the dwarves in the Iron Hills." I could hear the frustration in Ada's words.
I felt a breath rush out of me. Oh thank god. There was a small part of me that had been scared they would ignore Fili's summons. But dwarves were loyal.
"Kili's brother sent for them instead. Against Thorin's wishes" I said.
Ada's eyebrows raised "Impressive. But how did you hear of this?"
I gave a cursory glance around the room. There weren't any strangers left in the room just us. The advisors had gracefully closed the door on their way out. "That's actually why I'm here. Bilbo found us last night"
"The halfling?" said Ada.
"Yeah. He told us that Fili had called for Dain and he also left us something for safe keeping" That's when I reached into my jacket pocket to retrieve the Arkenstone. I placed the jewel on the table in front of me. Fractals of light danced across the walls.
There was a collective gasp around the room. It was most definitely the last thing they expected me to pull out.
And for my next trick I shall pull a Silmaril out of my hat.
Just kidding. I wouldn't touch one of those things with a ten foot pole. I was not getting set on fire today. Or burned, or whatever it was that they did. Though there was a rumour that the Arkenstone was actually one of them. I didn't let myself dwell on that train of thought though. We didn't need any more problems, thank you.
"The Arkenstone" Ada gasped "So they did manage to find it then?"
"Well Bilbo did" I clarified "He brought it to us so that we could keep it from Thorin's hands. If he got hold of this I fear the gold sickness would get much worse."
"Then it was wise for him to bring it here" said Legolas, reaching out to touch it.
"Thank you for bringing this to us, Liriel" said Ada.
"Well it was either this or a hole somewhere" I said with a sly look to Kili.
oOo
Waiting around was perhaps the worst thing. Like waiting for your own execution. The blade was drawing ever closer and there was nothing you could do about it. We also didn't hear anymore from the company. I assumed that Bilbo had made it back okay. Or we would probably be seeing him among us. I doubted we would be hearing from them anytime soon. We just had to believe that they were doing okay. Which was rather hard to do when you are a natural worrier.
Thankfully, there was quite a lot to do to help me keep my mind occupied. We had to break down our camp and the edge of the forest. The ruins of Dale were going to be our new basecamp. Our camp by the forest was way too open. But Dale offered walls and shelter for us to gather behind.
New armour was found for me after some of mine had been crushed. i felt bad because of it. Mum had had armour specifically made for me and I'd already managed to mangle them. But at least they had done their job. I remember an old rock climbing teacher had said that it was better to have a broken helmet than a broken head.
Mum had told me that I shouldn't take my armour off between now and the battle. There was no way of knowing what could happen and she didn't want me to be caught unawares. Neither did I. Once was enough, thank you. I may have exploded an orc but it had been way too close for comfort.
A lot of effort goes into moving a camp. As I found out. There were just so many tents and pieces of furniture. But elves were very efficient workers and it didn't take as long as I thought it would.
My limbs were definitely warm by the time we had finished. It helped to stave off the cold at least. A room had been set up for me in one of the stronger standing houses. I told Ada that I would be fine and to give it to someone else but he wouldn't hear of it. I decided not to push the issue, I needed to pick my battles.
Looking around the burnt out ruins of Dale was rather eerie. It was a literal ghost town. Like any second a spirit would pop up in front of you and demand you get off their property. The worst part was the remnants left behind. Even after all these years there were plates still on tables and shattered mugs on the floor.
Kili had sensed my melancholy mood and reached out a hand. I grabbed it readily. My current focus was on a carved stone I'd find under some rubble. Carved into the crude shape of a horse. A child's toy.
"We'll rebuild this Leah," Kili said. "It won't stay broken forever"
He gently took the toy from my hand and placed it back onto the ground. "It's probably best to not dwell on things like this right now" he said.
I took a deep breath through my nose and nodded. He was right. There were more important things to worry about. Winning wars and all that. One day this house would be rebuilt and there would be new children to occupy with their own toys. But right now I needed to think about the present.
With the speed of a ninja, I leaned forward and gave Kili's cheek a kiss. His face took on a lovely rose hue. "I love you Kili"
He responded by reaching for my face and giving me a proper kiss. "I love you too" he said against my lips.
I was taking every bit of affection that I could. With threats looming so closely I felt now was important to let Kili know how much I loved him. I would not face death without one more kiss.
His eyes were so warm, I felt like I could look at them forever.
A commotion of voices rose up from outside. Reluctantly, I dragged my eyes away from Kili and looked through one of the windows. Less of a window and more a convenient hole in the wall.
I saw a few people walking in one direction. Their attention was on something in front of them. Or someone in front of them I should say. Through the crowd of people my gaze caught the sight of a rather distinguished grey hat. It towered above people's heads so that I could easily see it. Almost akin to a shark's fin in a wave.
"Gandalf!" I exclaimed.
"What? He's here?" said Kili, trying to see through the window as well.
"Come on" I said, grabbing Kili by the arm and dragging him out the door.
I had been wondering when Gandalf would return. It had been so long since we'd seen him. So much had happened. Him being here made me feel fractionally better. A wizard was always a good thing to keep around after all.
I, very politely, pushed my way through the wave of people to get to Gandalf. Many of the elves seemed to want to greet him so it was a bit of a tight squeeze. Thankfully, I didn't have to battle for attention. His face split into a wide grin when he saw us.
"Leah. Kili. It's good to see you" Gandalf sounded in high spirits.
I didn't hesitate to go in for the hug. My arms nearly got lost in his billowy robes but I managed to get them around him. He hugged me back with equal vigour. The elves around us quickly dispersed to give us some privacy.
"I would have thought that you would reside with the rest of the company" Gandalf raised an eyebrow. "Are they not with you?"
I looked down, suddenly not wanting to look Gandalf in the eye. "Thorin had gold sickness" I muttered "He thinks we're all working against him"
"This is as I feared. The curse on that gold has only increased in strength with a dragon spending so long wallowing in it" Gandalf sighed.
"The company is trying but Thorin doesn't seem to be getting any better," said Kili.
"No, I imagine not. It is hard to fight against one's own mind. Perhaps harder than fighting an external enemy. It could take quite a lot to shake Thorin free from this" Gandalf mused.
Kili drew in a shaky breath. Gandalf must have been confirming some of his fears. I squeezed the arm I was holding onto.
Gandalf then tried to change the direction of the conversation. "Lord Thranduil has tried to update me on what has happened. There was quite a lot to say the least."
"You can say that again" I muttered.
"It has been an age since I have seen your father with such a light in his heart." Gandalf pondered. "It was good to see"
Gandalf laid a hand on my shoulder. "You being here has helped many people. In more ways than you know. You must remember that"
It was like Gandalf was poking right on a sore spot. The amount of times I had wondered if I was helping/ changing enough were countless. Him saying that I was made me want to cry a little bit.
"Come" he said "There is something I wish to show you"
When we pressed him about it he simply tapped his nose and told us to follow him. Gandalf led us both back through the streets of Dale. Kili and I trailed behind him. We shared a brief confused look but chose not to voice it. Instead choosing to follow on in contemplative silence. I couldn't really think what Gandalf would want to show us. Or why he didn't just say it outright. The wizard was being his usual cryptic self. That was a good sign at least. It meant that the world was right.
He showed us to one of the houses that Ada had claimed. This one still had a functioning door. One which Gandalf tapped on with his staff. "Would you mind some company?"
"No, no, please come in" came an unknown voice from the other side.
It was deep and very much in-elf like. There was a hint of excitement as well. Who the hell was that?
Gandalf opened the door to reveal a largish room. I had ex[ected Ada and Mum to be present but the room was empty. All except for one person who was standing near a crackling fire.
He was definitely not an elf. Not a human either. A dwarf was standing in the room with an incredibly large smile across his face.
When did a dwarf get here? Had someone from Dain's army arrived early?
The dwarf gasped when he laid his eyes on Kili. Which made Kili freeze.
Gandalf had a light in his eyes and a smile on his face "Leah. Kili. Let me introduce you to Thrain son of Thror. Thorin's father."
My mind shuddered to a stop. A gasp fell out of my mouth and I covered it with my hand. Tears sprang to my eyes instantly. It couldn't be?
"You're alive" my voice cracked. "Oh my god you're alive"
Thrain laughed good naturedly and made his way over to us. He grabbed one of my hands in both of his. "Gandalf tells me that I have you to thank for that, my lady."
I turned towards Gandalf in disbelief. He smiled proudly back at me. So this was what he meant when he said I'd helped in more ways than I knew. I had told Galadriel and Gandalf about Thrain all those months ago. With everything that had happened I'd forgotten that I'd even said it. But here he was. Alive in front of me.
I'd saved someone. Something I changed had actually had a lasting impact. It was all too much. I was very close to sobbing like a baby.
Thrain then turned to Kili, who wasn't faring much better than me. His lip was wobbling in a bid to stop himself from crying. But there were already tears in his eyes. Thrain reached out a hand to Kili's face. "You, my boy, I know a Durin when I see one"
"Ugmil-adad" Kili whispered, leaning forward to touch his forehead to Thrain's.
They both stayed like that for a second. Eyes closed. "I have a grandson?" Thrain said with reverence.
He leaned back so that he could look at Kili once more. He drank in every feature. "Are you Thorin's lad?"
"Dis's" said Kili with a watery smile.
"Of course, of course I see it now. You have her nose. How is she? My little girl, it's been so long" Thrain had his own tears building in his eyes.
"She's the most amazing Amad ever. To both me and Fili" Kili's eyes were bright as he spoke about his mum.
"I have another grandson?" Thrain exclaimed as if it was the best news he ever heard. "When I was captured I never once imagined that I would ever see my family again. Now here I am with more family than I even knew about"
God this dwarf knew how to tug on the heartstrings. I would be dehydrated from all the tears by the end of the day.
Ugmil-adad- Grandad
I don't know if I've done this reveal justice with it being 5am but I'd been excited to share it. Not enough fix-it stories tend to save papa Thrain and I decided that this one needed to. I know that in the actual book Thrain was long dead but I'm going off the movies. Mainly because I'm a sucker for reunions if you hadn't guessed yet. I've had like 7 so far already. I'm gearing up for an ultra emosh reunion between Thorin and Thrain.
Well I'm gonna go pass out. Peace out yall
